Writing Fiction About Generation Z

A Look at Writing Fiction About Generation Z or iGen (1997 – 2012)

Of course, as of the initial writing of this blog post, Gen Z had not yet hit 35. And a lot of them hadn’t hit their quarter-century mark, either. And 65? Forget about it! So, unless you’re writing about the future, writing fiction about Generation Z means writing about their youth.

My characters Minka Lopez, Dez Hunter, Nell Murphy, and Kitty Kowalski, all from Mettle are all members of iGen.

So, let’s look at some pivotal moments, to help inform us when writing fiction about Generation Z.

The Generation Z Turns 18 (2015 – 2030)

This time frame starts off with NASA’s Dawn probe orbiting dwarf planet (asteroid) Ceres. The World Health Organization declares the eradication of rubella in the Americas. Also, SpaceX lands an uncrewed Falcon 9 rocket.

The Covid-19 epidemic and the first term of President Donald Trump dominate the middle of this period.

As of the initial writing of this blog post, this time period has not yet ended. However, the period from 2020 to 2024 gave us a world where misinformation is everywhere, and there are significant political divides in the United States.

Considering this generation and the end of this time frame can mean extrapolating what’s already happened. Or try turning it on its head.

The Generation Z Turns 25 (2022 – 2037)

This time frame starts off with billions of people being vaccinated against Covid-19. Queen Elizabeth II celebrates her Platinum Jubilee (70 years on the throne, a record for British monarchs), and Elon Musk buys Twitter.

Since most of the middle and all of the end of this period hasn’t happened yet, we can only speculate about it. The second election of Republican Donald Trump in 2024 means he’s supposed to be president until 2028.

When I’m Writing Fiction About Generation Z

So, here are my characters from Generation Z.

In Mettle, it’s characters Dez Hunter, Minka Lopez, Nell Murphy, and Kitty Kowalski.

There may be some in The Duck in the Seat Cushion, too.

Takeaways for Writing Fiction About Generation Z

Gen Z was raised on the internet. So writing fiction about Generation Z should include computers, tablets, and smartphones. Therefore, if you wish to show iconoclasts or Luddites, or maybe a post-Apocalyptic world, then Zoomers probably wouldn’t have any of that.

And, as character Kitty Kowalski is like in Mettle, when the power goes out and they might not survive, forget her parents. She barely thinks of them at all. This insufferable spoiled brat misses her phone.

---

Want more about writing fiction about current generations? Then be sure to check out my thoughts on multigenerational fiction writing and the other blog posts in this series:

• The Greatest Generation
† The Silent Generation
• Early Boomers
† Generation Jones
• Generation X
† Millennials AKA Generation Y
• Generation Z AKA Zoomers
† Generation Alpha